OpinionMusic News

The Missing Link in The Monkees’ Legacy

Derided as the “pre-Fab Four,” The Monkees got pummeled by the press during its heyday. To be fair, the band partially asked for it. They were stars on a TV series, not an organically assembled quartet born out of a dingy garage.

They didn’t play their own instruments on the group’s first two albums. Yet it’s the totality of their work – and enduring appeal – that should have silenced the naysayers once and for all.

And yet for all the ink spilled over the recent Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame feuding, the four Monkees remain on the outside looking in.Monkees-Good-Times-legacy

What a shame.

The better late than never credibility keeps piling atop the band all the same.

Noel Gallagher, Ben Gibbard, Rivers Cuomo and Adam Schlesinger just teamed with some of the band’s surviving members for next month’s new Monkees release.

Good Times!,” produced by Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne fame, features collaborations with the aforementioned stars plus newly uncovered material from the ’60s.

It’s merely the latest sign that the rock community embraces both the band and its legacy.

And why shouldn’t they?

RELATED: How ‘Head’ Made Monkees Out of Band’s Critics

What other band helped revolutionize music videos decades before MTV brought them into the mainstream?

The group never fully goes out of style, but the sheer amount of “comebacks” is dizzying. Remember when they took over MTV in 1986? Or, more recently, when reluctant Monkee Michael Nesmith rejoined the band for a successful 2014 reunion tour?

Later this year, the band will celebrate 50 years together with an expansive North American tour.

It’s also worth noting that some of the biggest names of the 1960s ignored the critical comments and embraced the band. Frank Zappa asked Micky Dolenz to be his drummer after the Monkees disbanded. The Beatles hobnobbed with the Monkees, as big a sign of respect as any band could earn.

the-monkees-48-years

Success during the Flower Power era didn’t protect Davy, Peter, Micky and Mike from criticism. At their peak the band sold more records than the Beatles and Rolling Stones combined.

Let that sink in.

And let’s not forget the music. Throwaway pop ditties don’t age as beautiful as hits like “I’m a Believer,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday” and “Daydream Believer.” The band’s deeper cuts are just as good.

Fifty years later, this manufactured group has done it all.

  • Decades of successful touring
  • Massive record sales
  • Helped set the boy band template
  • Influenced the future of music video
  • A crush of still-perfect pop tunes

It’s almost comical to compare The Monkees’ legacy to other certified members of the Hall of Fame. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts? Ringo Starr (solo)? Donna Summer?

Tour after tour, the Monkees keep rolling on,well into their 70s. That’s more than just nostalgia at play, although audience memories are clearly part of the group’s jet fuel circa 2016.

That means entrance into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame is long overdue.. Gulp hard, voters, and admit reality.

It’s about time.

9 Comments

  1. I love the Monkees. They should be in the Rock “n” Roll Hall of Fame. But Christian Toto…don’t go knocking Joan Jett or Ringo Starr.

    1. Christian isn’t knocking them. If he’s knocking anyone, it’s the HoF for admitting acts that had considerably less success and spurning an act that outsold those acts many, many times over. Yes, Ringo was integral in the Beatles and has been inducted as part of that group as well, but as a solo act? Not worthier of admission than the Monkees. Jett will always be remembered for “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” but she’s not worthier of admission than the Monkees.

      1. Ironically, Ringo has been more successful as an ACTOR (which is what naysayers accused the Monkees of being) than as a musician since going solo. George Harrison arguably had a more successful film career, but true to his “silent Beatle” reputation, it was behind the scenes as a film producer and producer of soundtracks.

  2. Jann Warner, President of Rolling Stone, will never allow the Monkees in the Rock and Roll HOF. He hates the Monkees. Never mind the fact that they did know how to play their own instruments, but Don Kirchner didn’t allow them to do so on their first 2 albums. Never mind the fact that they were the first group to use a Moog synthesizer on a rock album. Never mind that they were the first group to use a banjo on a rock album, thus introducing country rock. Never mind that it was Mike Nesmith who went to Sony and introduced the concept of MTV. The Monkees most certainly belong in the Rock and Roll HOF, and it is a travesty that the personal prejudices of one of the board members is keeping them out.

  3. If you removed every act from the R&RHOF that used the Wrecking Crew, well it would be a very quiet place.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button